Rudy Crew as chief education officer is worth the risk for Governor Kitzhaber

Whatever else one thinks of the decision to hire Rudy Crew as Oregon's first chief education officer, no one can accuse Gov. John Kitzhaber of playing it safe.

Crew brings to the job a national reputation as an innovative educator with a passion -- and track record -- for turning around failing schools and school districts. He also brings with him a record of disputes and controversies that caused him to lose his two highest-profile jobs to date, chancellor of the New York City schools (the largest school district in the country) and superintendent of the Miami-Dade school district (the fourth-largest in the country).

Depending on whom you believe, Crew has either been too conservative or too liberal, too penurious or too extravagant, too political or not political enough. A case in point is New York, where in 1998 Village Voice columnist Nat Hentoff wanted Crew fired for allegedly being too subservient to Mayor Rudy Giuliani, while in 1999 Crew actually was fired for publicly opposing Giuliani's school voucher proposal. With this track record, Kitzhaber's critics will no doubt be waiting to pounce in the event Crew doesn't work out here.

Understandable, perhaps, but I won't be one of them.

It's not that I'm certain Crew will be successful; it's because he figures to either succeed or fail grandly rather than cautiously. Nor am I concerned that he'll make enemies; at one time or another I expect he'll upset everyone who cares about education -- including me. But at least he'll do something. And what could be less Kitzhaberesque than hiring someone so obviously lacking in the deference and diplomacy this governor normally seems to value above excellence and risk-taking?

Without question, those seeking an ideological approach to education reform won't be satisfied with Crew. Anyone who wants to better understand Crew's values and aspirations for education should read his 2007 book "Only Connect: The Way to Save Our Schools." It's not a detailed blueprint for reform, but does contain insights into his thinking that convince me Crew's impact on Oregon's education system could be significant, perhaps dramatic.

Consider these thoughts on teaching what he calls "workplace literacy":

"Let's create programs that introduce children to the workplace, that teach them the dignity and honor that come with a productive day. And let's have those programs overseen by men and women in the business community who can share what they've learned with the next generation.

"It is unacceptable for students not to know the rules of work: that there is a time and place for everything and that a work environment, interview, or formal setting requires a different attire from a mall, a ball game, or just hanging out. ... Teaching children about time and place is as important as teaching them about math and science. And if we don't teach them that, we're consigning them to a permanent place in the underclass of society."

These are some of the things Crew believes young people should know in order to possess this workplace literacy:

Basic financial realities and budgeting.

How to balance a checkbook.

How interest and credit work.

What to wear and how to conduct themselves in an interview.

How to write a proper and effective letter and email.

What general area of study or employment they want to head toward.

The fundamentals of how money works in our economy and government.

If Crew does nothing more than successfully implement these recommendations, he will be one of the best things to happen to Oregon schools in decades. But he also writes about parents making demands on themselves, their children and the school system, about schools putting greater emphasis on enhancing student skills than on having the latest and most expensive technology, about understanding that simply funding programs is not the same as producing students with the skills and proficiencies they need to succeed.

If hiring Rudy Crew as Oregon's chief education officer is risky, it's a risk worth taking. The greater risk is continuing along our current path of higher dropout rates, a growing achievement gap and more kids leaving school without marketable skills. Jack Roberts is a Eugene businessman and former Oregon labor commissioner.